Islands
Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:31 pm
My Tube of Camponotus Ligniperdus of Queen + 6–10 workers arrived today and it has been entertainment from the start. First of all, the Queen is very beautiful, with a goldey shining abdomen, laden with eggs I should say. A lot of interest and activity.
However once opened, I noticed that a worker was tugging very firmly on the cotton wool bung and I felt myself in a dilemma. Antkit's Ytong Glass nests aren't ready yet, so I also ordered a little 14 x 7 x 6 cm Arena to keep them in to await the new "Coming in April" nests.
But that one's not here yet, and I wanted a bigger box for now!
Fortunately my carer had picked me up a plastic box in Amwell's Aquatics with a double-hinged lid, so I have put the tube in that. I also put in a piece of rotten wood I brought from India, which has been used by ants in the past as there are tunnels in it. A few days ago I boiled it for half an hour, and scooped out some of the sand from a tunnel which previous ants had used.
One of the workers was "lame" as he only had one antenna, but he had a key "rôle" in the exploration of the new halfway house*. He (she) went to the entrance to "sniff the air" (as it were). The the results were reported (via antenna touching) to the rest of the young colony, and after that another worker was sent out for a recce.
Much exploring of the bug box which is now fully mapped out I reckon.
The Queen started to venture out, but later she returned to drink from the cotton wool bung.
Now the full colony has returned to the test tube which is their first home.
*Oh that governments could do the same with their disabled citizens!"
My Tube of Camponotus Ligniperdus of Queen + 6–10 workers arrived today and it has been entertainment from the start. First of all, the Queen is very beautiful, with a goldey shining abdomen, laden with eggs I should say. A lot of interest and activity.
However once opened, I noticed that a worker was tugging very firmly on the cotton wool bung and I felt myself in a dilemma. Antkit's Ytong Glass nests aren't ready yet, so I also ordered a little 14 x 7 x 6 cm Arena to keep them in to await the new "Coming in April" nests.
But that one's not here yet, and I wanted a bigger box for now!
Fortunately my carer had picked me up a plastic box in Amwell's Aquatics with a double-hinged lid, so I have put the tube in that. I also put in a piece of rotten wood I brought from India, which has been used by ants in the past as there are tunnels in it. A few days ago I boiled it for half an hour, and scooped out some of the sand from a tunnel which previous ants had used.
One of the workers was "lame" as he only had one antenna, but he had a key "rôle" in the exploration of the new halfway house*. He (she) went to the entrance to "sniff the air" (as it were). The the results were reported (via antenna touching) to the rest of the young colony, and after that another worker was sent out for a recce.
Much exploring of the bug box which is now fully mapped out I reckon.
The Queen started to venture out, but later she returned to drink from the cotton wool bung.
Now the full colony has returned to the test tube which is their first home.
*Oh that governments could do the same with their disabled citizens!"
